Rotary well drilling apparatus



1938. D, T. FOSTER ROTARY WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 16, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 8, 1938. D. T. FOSTER ROTARY WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Fild Jan. 16, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 8,1938

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY WELL DRILLING APPARATUS David Thomas Foster, Khaur, Punjab, India, assignor to Regan Forge & Engineering Company, a corporation of California 1 Application January 16, 1937, Serial No. 120,977 10 Claims. (01.255-23) This invention'relates to improvements in the ner. l2 designates the ordinary rotary table drilling of wells under pressure by the use of master bushing having a square opening to rerotary drilling equipment in which a kelly is ceive a split bushing I3. This bushing I 3 is proused. videdwith a conical end l4 which is received In the common practices of pressure drilling by in a corresponding portion of the opening in the 5 the rotary method the use of the common kelly master bushing. presents disadvantages such as the necessity of The bushing 13 at its upper portion is provided using a kelly small enough to work through conwith a circular opening l5 having vertically extrol valves, blow out preventers, oil savers and tending slots or ways IS. The opening I5 is packers and due to the cross sectional shape of undercut as indicated at l6 and extends down- 10 the-kelly further difliculties arise in the problem wardly and inwardly forming a conical seat to of packing around the kelly. receive the tapered lower end of a cylindrical It is one of the objects of this invention to overshoe [1. The shoe I! at its upper end is Welded come these disadvanta es just pointed out and to the lower end of a length of casing or pipe in so doing to raise the kelly a suflicient distance whi h n tit t a torque tube 20, Welded to 15 above the rotary table to permit he u Of a the sides of the torque tube are splines or ribs p sh p pe wh f ms an t s n f t e k y 2| formed on the shoe I! which ribs extend into and which slidably passes through the well head and are engaged in t slots or ays |5 i th packer to a point below the control valves, blow bushing 3 so t any rotary movement 2 out preventers and oil savers where it is secured parted to the bushing 3 from the rotary t m 20 to the upper end of the drill pipethrough the master bushing 12 is imparted to the A further object of my invention is to so artorque tube 2 range the Parts of the f relating. w It is to be noted that with the construction raising, lowering and rotatmg of the P011511 plpe just described relating to the connection between that its polished surface does not come into enthe torque. tube and the bushing |3 the torque 25 gagement Contact Wlth Shpst gnpst frlctmn tubema-y simply be lifted out of engagement with l other scarring or mughening means the bushing thereby freeing the table entirely which would tend to mar the surface of the from mechanism in the Wen polish pipe with consequent undue wear of the The upper end of the torque tube 20 extends packm? j into and is secured to the lower end of a head or Furtrfer' ObJeCt? and adYaptages Wm apPear kelly bushing-housing 22, the lower end of which m me foupwmg .descnptlon and drawings is provided with a plurality of slots 23 through Fh atlve plumes which the upper end of the torque tube is welded Fig. 1. 1s, a dlagrammatic elevation of rotary to the head the weld being indicated at 24 well equipment embodying, a form of the inven- The head is provided at its upper end with a square opening 26 which receives a split square Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of an apparatus embodying the invention, as shown in kelly bushing 21 having a square opening 28 Whlch Fig engages the kelly 30 so that rotative movement imparted from the torque tube to the head 22 Fig'igz. 3 1s. a cross sectional view on line 3 3 of causes the keny to rotate. 40

q The kelly bushing 2'! is supported on a shoulder 4 1S a cross seC,t1ona1 View on hne 4 of 3| formed on the inside of the head 22 and 1s Fig 5 is a cross sectional view on line 5-5 of retained in place by means of a Split cap the Fig r central opening through the head being sufii- 45 Fig 6 is a cross sectional view on line 6-6 of cienfly large to permit the Kelly to pass freely Fig therethrough when the cap is removed.

Fig. '7 is a cross sectional view on line l1 of The upper end of the is attached to the Fig 2; and ordinary swivel diagrammatically indlcated at 33 Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view on line 8-8 of in Fig. l and the enlarged lower end 34 of the 5 Fig. 2. kelly is securedby means of a tool oint 35 to the Referring more particularly to the drawings pp end Of'a Polish p p 35 Which xtends which illustrate a preferred form of this invendownwardly freely through the torque tube, the tion, H designates the ordinary rotary table which rotary table, and through a well head packer 3'! it will be understood is rotated in the usual manset close under the rotary table below which it 5 Gil is secured by means of an ordinary tool joint 38 to the upper end of the drill pipe 39.

By the construction above described the polish pipe 36 is raised and lowered and rotated free from engagement with any gripping, scarring or roughening means.

As the drilling operation proceeds the kelly is rotated as above described and the polish pipe fed downwardly through the packer until sufficient hole has been made to require the addition of another length of drill pipe. The kelly is then raised until the enlarged lower end of the kelly contacts the bottom of the kelly drive bushing 27, this upward movement of the kelly being continued, lifts the torque tube from engagement with the split table bushing 13 in the rotary table high enough to permit the tool joint 38 to be engaged by tongs in the common manner and an additional length of drill pipe added after which the kelly is lowered permitting the torque tube to become seated in and engaged by the split table bushing in the rotary as heretofore described.

The apparatus in the form and relation of parts as above described has been made particularly with the end in view of avoiding change in any of the parts of the modern rotary equip ment of wells. Its use does not require any change in control equipment and a normal cellar may be used, in fact, the arrangement of parts .permits pressure drilling even in so-called open hole drilling hook-ups.

It is to be understood that the regular kelly may be used and the ordinary swivel above the kelly, the additional elements being the polish pipe and torque tube assembly.

The kelly used in connection with larger drill pipe previously used in the well may be retained for the smaller drill pipe and control hook-up because by this invention the kelly is kept above the control devices. Such kelly is usually long enough ts allow a double of drill pipe to be used at each addition above described.

The torque tube and polish pipe in such case will be of a length suited to such doubles.

The polish pipe may be of a grade of material and wall thickness different from ordinary drill pipe and surfaced to be better adapted to the duty of rotating in a packing head.

The kelly may, however, obviously be other than the conventional square kelly in cross section and other forms of engaging means may be em ployed for imparting rotary movementto the kelly from the torque tube and likewise modifications may be employed in the connection between the torque tube and the rotary table without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I claim as my invention: I

1. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, a torque tube of sufficient length to house a kelly connected to the table and rotatable therewith, a kelly non-circular in cross section, means on the torque tube engaging the kelly, and a polish pipe secured to the kelly extending downwardly through the torque tube and rotary table.

2. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, anon-extensible torque tube of sufficient length to house akelly having its lower end connected to the table and rotatable therewith, a kelly non-circular in cross section, means at the upper end of the torque tube engaging the kelly,

and a polish pipe secured to the kelly extending freely downwardly through the torque tube and table.

3. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, a torque tube of sufiicient length tohouse a kelly having its lower end detachably connected to said table, a kelly non-circular in cross section, removable connecting means engageable with the upper end of the torque tube and the kelly, and a tool driving member connected to the kelly and extending downwardly therefrom.

4. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, a torque tube of sufiicient length to house a kelly having its lower end connected to the table and rotatable therewith, a kelly non-circular in cross section, means at the upper end of the torque tube engaging the kelly, and a polish pipe secured to the kelly extending freely downwardly through the torque tube and table; and packing means engaging said polish tube below said table.

5. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, a split bushing in said table having an inner conical seat, a torque tube of sufiicient length to houses. kelly, means on the lower end of said tube engaging said seat, locking means on said tube to prevent relative rotative movement between said tube and said bushing, a kelly noncircular in cross section, means on the upper end of said tube engaging said kelly and a polish pipe secured tosaid kelly extending downwardly freely through said table.

6. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table a split bushing in said table, a non-extensible torque tube of sufficient length to house a kelly, a shoe on the lower end of the torque tube seated in said bushing, interengaging means on said shoe and bushing preventing relative rotative movement between said shoe and bushing, a head on the upper end of said tube, a kelly non-circular in cross section, means in said head engaging said kelly against relative rotative movement therebetween and a polish pipe secured to said kelly extending downwardly freely through said torque tube and said split bushing.

'7. In a rotary drilling equipment: a rotary table, a kelly non-circular in cross section, kelly rotating means extending upwardly from the table of sufficient length to house the kelly, means for detachably connecting said rotating means to the kelly and means for detachably connecting the lower end of the rotating means to said table, and a polish pipe on said kelly extending downwardly therefrom.

8. In a rotary drilling equipment: a rotary table, a kelly non-circular in cross section, kelly rotating means of suflicient length to house the kelly extending upwardly from the table, means for detachably'connecting said rotating means to the kelly and means for detachably connecting the lower end of the rotating means to said table, and a polish pipe on said kelly extending downwardly therefrom; a drill pipe connected to said polish pipe, and well packing means engaging said polish pipe.

9. In a rotary well drilling device, a rotary table, a bushing in said table having an annular seat therein, a torque tube of sufficient length to house a kelly having its lower end supported on said .seat', interengaging means on said tube for imparting rotative movement to the tube, a kelly non-circular in cross section; means on the upper end of said tube engaging the kelly to impart rotative movement to the kelly and a polish pipe on said kelly extending downwardly therefrom.

10. In a rotary drilling device, a rotary table, a kelly non-circular in cross section, a torque tube positioned above the table and of sufficient length to house the operating length of the kelly, driving means between the table and the torque tube, driving means between the torque tube and the kelly, and a polish pipe secured to the kelly extending downwardly through the torque tube and rotary table.

DAVID THOMAS FOSTER. 

